


Fever

by ThyArchitect



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect - Various Authors, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Ashley Williams - Freeform, Dialogue Heavy, Drama & Romance, F/M, Mass Effect - Freeform, Mass Effect 3, Mass Effect Trilogy - Freeform, Post-Mass Effect 3, Romance, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya - Freeform, male shepard - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-29
Updated: 2018-12-29
Packaged: 2019-09-29 18:25:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17208599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThyArchitect/pseuds/ThyArchitect
Summary: I've been at work on this for 3 weeks now, and I've only just finished the final reading. After the first week, I thought I had finished it completely - somewhere around 2600 words. But while editing in the 2nd week I realised I had made an error in this piece and I had to fix that. I did the editing process again, re-worked some lines and ideas. Then this week gone by I got an idea. Of course, I ran with it and came home and typed up an additional scene which also required some re-re-editing of what I initially wrote. This in turn almost doubled the initial word count and set me up now at somewhere around 5300 words. At this point I was considering dividing the piece into two. But I realised that it needed to be read altogether as one piece and I did not run with that idea. LOLZ. Also too, I added an additional scene; the EPILOGUE, which is the last thing you'll read in this piece today. I wanted to show a small depiciton of a certain emotional situation without it overtaking the actual dialogue so I decided to have an epilogue in this dialogue. I think this scene in the epilogue needed to be shown even if it was not shown Chronologically. Nuff said on that....





	Fever

**Author's Note:**

> I decided on the title for this piece to be Fever...Nuff said on that as well... so the final word count (including stage directions is about 5700 words. So, if you read Tommy, my longest piece (which clocked 3800 words) until today, you know you'll be a while here. Get some chow, a soda, and tissue if you think it necessary. Most likely, it's going to be necessary. I hope you enjoy.

[The crew of the Normandy gathers at the memorial wall on the ship where the names of the fallen crew members have been put up in honor of the service given on board the Normandy. Ashley walks out from the elevator at last with a sullied, solemn look on her face. All from the group turn to look at her as she makes her way to the front where she reaches Garrus and Joker who is holding a new name plate. Garrus returns to a position among the crowd.]

Joker: Commander, we were waiting on you before we put it up…Actually, I thought it would’ve been better if…you…had done it. [He gives the name plate to Ashley.]

Ashley: … [She takes a deep breath while looking at the floor and wiping her face with her hands. She then looks up at Joker with a small crack of a smile on her face. She takes the plate from him.] Thank you Joker. [She looks toward the wall at the front of the group with her back to everyone else. She takes a couple of steps forward, and then stops to look at the name on the plate.]

ALL: [Silence]

Ashley: … [Her back still turned to the crowd] This feels, like someone wound the clock a few years back… Back to when we were first attacked by the collector ship while searching for geth. He basically got spaced while saving Joker. [She looks at Joker with a half smile. Joker looks as though he wanted to become invisible] I watched him sink into nothingness while I drifted away to safety. Now it’s happening all over again. I can feel myself stepping into those shoes again, when I first lost him; when I almost… [She glances behind her toward the group as if she only now recognized their presence, then looks at the wall again] I didn’t know how to think or how to feel because it was just too much to take in... This time it’s more real. So real that I sometimes find myself wanting to wake up from this, and realize it was just a dream. Only a dream. I wouldn’t have thought I’d get to witness John’s death twice. Actually if I had a credit for the amount of things I’ve witnessed in my lifetime that I could never have possibly thought I’d witness, I’d be rich…very rich. It goes without saying that this is something I’d never have seen coming. Yet I still feel the need to say it. To…to probably shout it to the whole galaxy right now until I don’t have a voice anymore. Because there still is a galaxy to shout to, thanks to this man. Skipper… John… saved a world of worlds. And [She takes another deep breath] he gave a future to all living and breathing species that reside in this galaxy…. From the filthy rich business people to the bastard mercenaries. He gave us all a chance to live…to breathe… This war has taken the lives of many…so many… The trackers even now are still going, trying to get a complete toll…but we came face to face with complete annihilation…and we’re still standing here today. John gave life to the continuation of our races. He was the… He was the blood that continued to run in that taken-for-granted ideal that “we’ll exist as a race forever” and he gave that ideal bone, flesh and skin once again, when we thought it was nothing but a buried treasure, with numbers over our heads, just waiting for that day. [She turns to the group and looks at them] We faced the reapers. A force that, by all principalities, made simple things like breathing, a pure miracle. [Her voice grows steadily]

And we survived because of this man. [She looks down at the plate and grips it] And… And if you knew John, if he were here today, you know he’d say something like, “We all knew what we signed up for.” Or, “We sacrificed for our victory because it’s a victory that was glaringly worth dying for.” And you know what? He’d be right. But the more I think about it, the more it seems to me that if there was anyone who should’ve lived to see this day, it should’ve been him. [Slight tears filling her eyes.] And I’m not saying that because I’m in love with him. I’m saying that because it’s what he deserves. John always told me how I’m deserving of serving on a ship like this; how I’m deserving of the spectre position. And all I can think now, is, “What about you? What about you John? What do you deserve?” This is the reason that we can stand here today and talk about him now. He never thought about himself but instead was just out and about doing everything for everyone else.

Could you imagine what it must have felt like when Admiral Anderson first gave Shepard his mission? When he told Shepard to unite a galaxy of divided species to save earth while earth itself was being invaded by the reapers. I’ve been in his…in my cabin all this time just thinking about this…about all the time he’s spent chasing his objectives across the galaxy. And how he was faced with mistrust and faithlessness by the council members. How they practically labeled him as a mad man when he first told them about the reapers. How they all just quickly brushed it under covers and acted like nothing happened. And how in spite of this, John never abandoned the mission that he always knew he had to do. No pressure right? To me it’s just plain saddening when I think how so little was given to a man so deserving and how now, this is what he receives. John hasn’t given us a guarantee for life eternal. But he was a light to the entire galaxy when everything went dark. His heroism knew no boundaries and his ideals were always aligned for good. 

We all knew John and we know no amount of words can describe what an amazing person he was. A soulful soldier with a strong outlook on life. He knew when to be brash and knew when to be humble. He knew when to be ruthless and when to have sympathy and he knew how to cherish and value the life of a man. [Her voice softens] It is the aggregate value of our galaxy’s future that can only balance a scale holding the life of this man. And this is the trade that was made. [Tears begin streaming down her face] 

But John would have it no other way. And putting this plate [She points to the wall of names] on the wall here doesn’t do him justice. Talking about him doesn’t do him justice. Naming entire colonies after him wouldn’t do him justice. Nothing will. All we can do is remember how valuable he really was and how much he really gave to the world in these last few years and hope that it weighs up to all his sacrifices. Becoming the first human spectre; Saving the council; destroying Sovereign, Saren and their heretic geth; dying only to return from the dead to stop the collectors; uniting a galaxy and finally stopping the reapers.

I haven’t slept for days and I’ve been up all this time just thinking about…about all this… [Sighs] Everything that led to this moment. John’s life has been such a…one time he described it as a rush. He’s always had to do something. Or find something. Or meet someone. And he never really got time to slow down. Have a normal life like every other soldier did. The very thought of it made me cry. He gave so much to Earth and to the galaxy. This is what we should always remember, even if the rest of the world just plasters it on the extranet and in codices and forgets it. We should all hold John in the highest regard because when he was alive he held us all above himself. Every day that passes without him just feels like…it feels like we did something wrong in the war and we need to do it over again. Restart. I wouldn’t say it doesn’t hurt. [Her voice cracks] I don’t know how to describe it. Having to accept a reality that’s so much like a dream. [Ashley’s eyes filled with tears and as she looked at his name on the plate she couldn’t read it after a bit as the words became blurry due to the tears.]

I just...John… [She drops the nameplate and begins sobbing softly. She buries her face in her hands. Tali comes to her aid and hugs her while Joker picks up the plate. The crowd also feels the pain that Ashley feels as they all have sorrowed looks on their faces.]

[Ashley wipes her face as she comes apart from Tali who still holds onto her at her side, as Ashley clears her throat and continues to speak. Joker then gives her the plate again.] I’ll be clear with all of you here. As a comrade and as a lover, I’ve lost something I cannot replace. We all have. John wasn’t the cheerful, happy-go-lucky, spirited guy, but just being around him made you feel, safe and sure of whatever you were doing. His presence was a comforter and what he symbolized is so many things. Too many things to describe. Heh heh…I didn’t think I could even utter a word here, but I am doing it now. And this is how John gave us all a little piece of himself. I’m sure all of us could say that they’ve done something they never thought they could do without John. Taking down the reapers is the biggest example of them all. He willingly and wisely gave you a kind of trust that you couldn’t buy. A friendship of faith that you can’t imitate. I don’t know about you but I cannot celebrate this moment without him. I can’t come here and say that we should celebrate his life and all the things he did. I can’t say we should acknowledge John for what he did and then go ahead and just be happy and enjoy the fruits of his labor…just bask in the ambience of a world without him. We owe him our lives. We owe so much to the all the men and women who died in this cause.

The only way to have celebrated it would’ve been to celebrate with him here with us. He may still be here today but in spirit. And so to honor him, we should make the best of this chance of life that we have; a chance that became a chance because we were so closing to having it taken away from us were it not for John Shepard. I’m not saying we should all stop living because he died. But we shouldn’t take things for granted anymore, and we should try to be more conscious of what we do and understanding of the things around us. John’s voice was belittled when he spoke of the reapers, yet he spoke the last word in the Reaper war. Were his words considered more deeply from the very start, I may not even be here today holding this plate, about to put it on this wall…

ALL: [silence] 

Ashley: [Her voice grew louder] But this is how it turned out and today we should all hold this man close to our hearts [She turns the name plate to face the crowd so that they could see the name.] Commander Shepard; the savior of the galaxy. [She turns back the plate so she can see the name now.] We thank you John for giving your life for our lives. You who died along with the rest of the soldiers who fought valiantly. You have given us our existence back. You were a pillar of hope when all hope was lost and when the galaxy leaned on you, when all our fates depended on you, you were unyielding, unbending and determined to keep us all afloat. You never caved in on us and you came through. It cost you your life, but you did it. [She turns and moves away from Tali and puts the plate on the wall. They all look at it for a while.]

Ashley: [tears still streaming down her face, and she now has a stuffy nose] It is a most complicated “Thank you” I think, but nonetheless, Thank You, John Shepard.

[They all look at the name plate again for a bit and then slowly disburse until only Tali and Ashley remained.]

Ashley: Thank you Tali. Really. For being their when I fell apart.

Tali: Keelah…You don’t have to thank me. Ashley I know what it must be like. You must be devastated.

Ashley: It doesn’t feel like living. It really feels like we did something wrong and if we do it over, I’ll see him again. I have to stop saying that before I start sounding like a crazy person. I don’t even have the will to fight the tears…I never could…from the first time we found his body…[She takes a deep breath]…I’m not sure if I should have even expected him to return…now it seems like it was inevitable…like only a fool would think that he’d come back. And not once did I ever entertain the thought…not once… [She cries softly]

Tali: We will all miss him so much. He lived the life of a legend, and became more so with every passing day. His greatness and passion for doing what he did best made him a remarkable man. I think we all hurt so much from this loss. We lost a great soldier but more importantly a great friend and comrade. It feels like we lost part of our family... Everyone is broken up by it. And I know time heals some wounds, but not all… Sometimes we need to learn to live with the pain because it’ll be around for a while. Slowly but surely it’ll leave a scar. And by the time it does that, it’ll be easier to just pass your hand over it, and remember how hard it was to heal. How long it took to close. And how deep your love runs underneath it. [Tali puts her hand around Ashley’s shoulder and hugs her. Ashley rests her head on Tali’s shoulder.] Just…stay calm…and let your feelings be. If there was anything that Shepard would want, it would’ve been for you to get better. Surely you must know, he wouldn’t like to see you like this…and in case you’re wondering, yes I am running a slight fever.

Ashley: [She sniffles and laughs as she does notice heat radiating from Tali’s suit] Yep skipper wouldn’t approve of my state. I can imagine him already saying things about me sobbing around like this. Especially now… [She puts her open right palm on her abdomen.]

Tali: [She notices this gesture]…Yes he definitely wouldn’t approve of this. But sometimes this is the maddening effect of love…In a circumstance such as this we see a side of love that can consume us in an instant. John really would’ve said something like, “We all knew what we signed up for.”…I don’t think the point hits home until the battle’s won and we take stock of all that we lost in order to win. He, most of all, knew that he may not have been returning. But even that, he probably never considered…so fixed he was on saving us all…

Ashley: Yea...He never spoke to me as though he wouldn’t return. Maybe he really never considered that part of it… Perhaps in this way, he finally gets the rest he deserves… After all these years of non-stop missions and fighting, of killing and struggling… Perhaps this is where he finally slows down; where he finally gets a chance to just be at peace. [She slowly moves apart from Tali and looks to the side while wiping her face again. Ashley then walks away from Tali and toward the elevator.] 

Tali: Indeed. Maybe… Somewhere out there, someone finally saw and understood all the hardships that he has had to bear and they decided that it was time he was given some recompense. Perhaps it is nature’s own way of saying thank you to Shepard. 

Ashley: Probably… I don’t know… I just don’t know. [She is still facing the elevator, her back to Tali.] Everything that I feel right now, is just like back then. I can feel all those frightening moments I’ve buried so long ago just surface like I did nothing to help myself back then; like I’m tangled in thoughts that are just trying to get to my sanity; like my emotions just turned into a huge puzzle in my mind which I couldn’t follow through or understand. I was confused, angry, depressed, shocked, afraid. And I still couldn’t believe it all; the disappearing human colonies; how the authorities just hushed up everything that Shepard had said even though it was true… God… [She holds onto the side of the elevator entrance] The memories and emotions I had back then. There’re all just rushing back to me. For such a long time I didn’t want to believe it. I kept doing things, anything just to try to forget it; to forget what happened. And to try to suppress the pain… But it always came back to me… It’s just like back then; couldn’t eat; couldn’t sleep; kept having nightmares of falling through space. Only now I have nightmares of reapers. [She holds her forehead with her free hand] This was one moment in time that I’d never want to relive. Yet here I am. Reliving the pain, the confusion. Why did you have to die Shepard!? [Her voice cracks] Why?![She sniffles]

Tali: [She turns to Ashley and reaches out a hand as she proceeds to move toward her] Ash-

Ashley: No… I’m fine. [She wipes her face and nose with her hand] Tali… I’m fine.

Tali: [She stops in her tracks and looks down at the floor, unsure of what to say.] Ashley. You don’t have to face this alone. Shepard was a perpetual fighter. He stood firmly in what he believed and never once quavered in his stance. Whatever had to be done, he did it. He wasn’t…as you would say...”a goody-two shoes” but he stood for what was right all the time. He broke the shackles of segregation that bound the races of a galaxy apart from each other and united them all by himself. He shook the very foundation of our existence. I don’t think for the longest while will he be forgotten. And you’re right. What he’s given to us is just priceless. There was no better way to have repaid him than for him to be here and to be a part of what he conceived. He deserved it. But I know Shepard well enough to know that he wouldn’t want you to be like this. He wouldn’t want you to suffer all by yourself right now. You don’t have to go this alone Ashley. You don’t have to try and be strong all by yourself like he would. Keelah…It’s downright unhealthy. I can’t even fathom what you’re going through especially how you’ve had to deal with it before, and how you got over it, only to have to experience it all over again, worse too. But you can’t keep to yourself and hope that it gets better. Please… I don’t care if I’m sounding stupid or annoying but please talk to me. Let me know if you want anything…or need to cry or rant or argue to someone…All that time chasing the collectors made me realize something. Something I think I always knew... I know how much Shepard loved you Ashley. 

Ashley: [She turns to Tali who is looking at her] 

Tali: You could’ve just seen the difference in his face whenever you entered a room. Or whenever he was speaking to you or about you. He’d never give you up for anyone or anything Ashley. He cherished you so much. When I came on board the Normandy while you were on the citadel recovering from the robot attack, I saw how John missed you. He worried so much about you and was so upset with himself for it. He felt responsible for it. I know it even if he didn’t mention it. And when we were out to stop the collectors there were times he’d just be looking at your picture in his cabin. Just sitting there…missing you so badly. I don’t know if you can find even an ounce of solace in that. But it must be comforting to know just how much he loved you. You were his whole world and it even hurts me to see you like this now… Gosh I am sounding stupid… Heh-heh… But now that he’s gone… I… I think the important thing here is you taking the time to deal with this. However long it would need to be. I don’t know how it would work with your superiors Ashley. But just for your own health and safety…I can only imagine how much you loved him…I can only imagine… [She turns a little to her right to look at the name plate on the wall.]

Ashley: [Silence]

Tali: You two shared a very special relationship. I know it’ll be the hardest thing to deal with now. That’s why I just think you should take some time off. And let us help you through this. If anyone deserves it, it’s you. You’ve been through so much.

Ashley: [She immediately recalls similar sentiments from John in the past as she looks on at Tali.]

Tali: Love is such a complicated thing. And even in its presence or its absence, we become such fragile creatures Ashley…I can’t tell you that everything will be okay. But I know it’s something Shepard would say. Someday, we can be strong again from this loss. We’ll be able to…take it in our stride… I can’t tell you that, but I know he would. [Tali, still looking at the name plate, passes her right hand over it, to touch the name.]

Ashley: Yes…he would say that. Thank you Tali.

Tali: [She turns her head a little to look slightly in Ashley’s direction and lowers her right hand.] I’ll be here for you Ashley. You can trust me to be here anytime. As John’s friend, I cannot and will not let you go through this alone. I owe it to him as much as I owe it to you. I don’t want to see you like this.

Ashley: [She is shocked at this] Tali… I… I don’t know what to say… I mean thank you. Thank you Tali. That means so much to me.… Um, Tali…that fever… Will you be alright?

Tali: What? This? Oh this is nothing. [She clears throat] I’m swimming in antibiotics. I’ll be fine in no time. It’s just a little bug I caught when I was adjusting the suit. [She smiles through her helmet]

Ashley: Oh… Okay then. [She turns back to the elevator and presses the button. Tali turns back to face the name plate on the wall. Silence]

Ashley: I will miss him for the rest of my life Tali. And I’m not afraid to say it. I love him so much. He was everything to me. And he gave everything for us. For the galaxy. I will miss him always. [She steps in the elevator as the doors open. She presses the button for her cabin as she sees Tali still looking at the name plate. The doors close.]

Tali: [speaks to herself] So will I.

10 years later…

[Ashley is sitting on a bench on Abbey Road, Westminster City, London with a 9-year old girl with long black hair who was eating an ice-cream treat]

Ashley: Take your time there you gremlin.

Girl: MOM! I’m not a gremlin!

Ashley: [Laughs while looking at the girl] Keep eating that way and you’ll convince me otherwise.

Girl: How come we came all the way out here mom?

Ashley: Well Tee, I like it here. Long ago your father and I worked out here.

Tee: In this same street?

Ashley: Well, not exactly here. But this street in particular, Abbey Road, was where we found your dad after the war was over.

Tee: Oh…

Ashley: Yes, Tee, he was still alive when we found him. 

Tee: How did you know I was gonna ask that? 

Ashley: I’m your mom. It’s what I’d ask.

Tee: Humph… [She then sees a quarian passing by on the sidewalk alongside a human who appears to be giving a tour of some sort. Whispers] MOM! MOM! Look! Isn’t that a – 

Ashley: Yes Tee. It’s a quarian. You’ve seen them before. 

Tee: Yea I know... but… Whoa. They always look so weird in those suits.

Ashley: Well, honey they have to wear those suits to visit our planet. But they’re not that different from us. 

Tee: Why did you name me after those weird looking people mom? Couldn’t you name me after an asari?

Ashley: [Disapprovingly] Tee! Stop that! I told you about that already. They are no more different than you or me. They are people too. The suits are just like their clothes… Lots of layers but just the same. Besides, I named you after one great quarian.

Tee: [Smiles] Tali!!! At least it’s a nice name. I like that name.

Ashley: Yes. Tali. She was an admiral in the Quarian fleet. She first met your dad when she was on her pilgrimage.

Tee: Her what-age?

Ashley: Her pilgrimage. It’s like a ritual they participate in when they grow up and become young adults. She went on to serve on board the Normandy on more than one occasion alongside your dad and she helped him a lot.

Tee: She worked with dad on the ship? Whoa! She was really lucky. [She finishes her treat and licks her fingers]

Ashley: Yep. She was very close friends with your dad and accompanied him on a lot of important missions. She was very skilled and intelligent and was a world-class engineer. And most of all, she was a very good person, just like your dad. She died shortly after you were born though.

Tee: Really? How did she die mom?

Ashley: She fell ill.

Tee: What did she catch?

Ashley: You’re too curious sometimes, you know that? [She pinches Tee’s cheeks]

Tee: [Giggles]

Ashley: She got wounded in battle during the war but never mentioned it to anyone I think. She kept telling me that she was treating a fever. Then one day she paid me a visit here on earth. She accompanied me on my trip to Dr. Michel when she suddenly collapsed. I think that’s when it got serious, and that’s when we found out.

Tee: But, don’t they have like, lots of medicine and stuff?

Ashley: Yea… But I don’t think the injury was the only thing that kept her down. She missed your dad a lot Tee. I think she missed him so much that it made her injury worse and soon she contracted a very serious illness.

Tee: MOM! You can’t die from missing someone. How come you didn’t die then?

Ashley: I wasn’t carrying an injury Tee. And I was stuck with a gremlin inside me remember?

Tee: Mo-

Ashley: She was really good friends with your dad Tee. It’s very hard to lose close friends, even harder when it’s a war that you’re fighting. And I became good friends with her too, even though it was only for a short time. She was a splendid person to know. And she helped me a lot after your dad died. Even though she was suffering as well.

Tee: Oh…

Ashley: She stood strong throughout that time for me, until she couldn’t even stand physically. Her illness grew and grew and right before you were born the doctors said that they couldn’t do anything more for her; that it was only a matter of time. I couldn’t have been angry with her for hiding it. It took sheer courage and determination to do that. She acted a lot like your dad would you know. I just wished I could’ve done more for her at the time.

Tee: Is that why you named me after her, mom?

Ashley: I guess you can say so. You were a few days old and I hadn’t given you a name yet. 

Tee: What?!

Ashley: And then she died. It was hard for me to lose Tali, so soon after your dad. It felt like no time had passed yet I had lost my closest friends… Of course she saw you a few times and held you. Whatever she had wasn’t contagious and every time she held you she seemed so happy. She said you were the most amazing thing she had ever seen. She held you and cuddled you as though you were her own child. I named you Tali because of the wonderful person that she was; an outstanding, brilliant and dedicated soldier who held her family and friends close to her heart and who’d do anything for them. She was very fond of your dad. More than she let on I think. But she didn’t want to say anything and instead she just committed herself to helping me, even though she was probably as sad as I was about your dad. I think I always knew. I remember when we put your dad’s name up on the memorial on the ship. Even then she was probably feeling the effects of the injury. And she lied to me and said it was just a fever.

Tee: Why did she lie? If she didn’t, she might have lived mom.

Ashley: I think she lied because she didn’t want to worry me more. For all I know she probably just…Ah well, it doesn’t matter really. At the time, I figure it was a decision she thought best. Even though she’s gone, I respect her decision and I will always remember it. Come on. Go to the kiosk and buy a treat for me now. I’m hungry too.

Tee: Awww… Okaaay. [Goes to the kiosk]

Ashley: [Thinks to herself] For all I know she had decided to bury her love for Shepard into that one wound. And die with it. Tali probably thought she could never let me know how she really felt. And she told me that I don’t have to be strong like John, yet there she was champion-ing me through it all. Even when she felt as sick and sad as me. That coupled with her illness from the wound just took her will to live away from her and she just gave up on becoming better regardless of whether she could’ve survived or not. Maybe… But she knew just how well I loved John. She loved him just the same. And it consumed her, like a fever.

EPILOGUE.

[Tali laid flat on a bed, unmasked, her long dark hair beneath her head. She was breathing heavily and had a labored looking on her face with her silver eyes growing weaker and her breath growing fainter. Ashley sat right by her side crying softly and holding Tali’s bare hand which felt very warm.]

Ashley: Tali… [Sniffles]

Tali: Ashley… Don’t cry for me. I’ve had a fulfilling life. I cannot ask for more. All I am concerned about is you and your child. Please… [She takes a deep breath] don’t worry about me. I’ll be [She gasps in pain] 

Ashley: [Sobs] TALI!

Tali: I’ll be… fine Ashley. I owe you a lot… so much. I just wish I could repay you for everything you’ve given me. I will always love you and your cute little girl so very much. I just wish I could’ve been here to see her grow up. But this is the way it was meant to be. Don’t cry for me Ashley. It was an honor to have you as a friend and battle alongside you. 

Ashley: No Tali, the honor is mine.

Tali: [ She looks at Ashley with a slight smile] Remember that song Ashley? That song we heard a while ago… It went like… “If I lost the world from out of my hands, would you come and” – [ Ashley joins in]

Ashley & Tali: “Save it for me? Tell me, tell me, please that I can. Would you come and make me see? Throw me across the stars in the night sky, out from the barrels of your eyes. [Ashley grips Tali’s hand tighter] And catch me in your dreamscape sea. Bury my feet into all that you feel.”

Tali: [She takes another deep breath] I like that song… [Slight tears stream down her face] Sometimes we don’t always understand the choices that we have to make. It almost feels like you’re lost; surrounded by misconstrued emotions; like your world just slips out of your hands. And you wonder why? Why should it be like this? Not everything has an explanation behind it, waiting for us to just see it. But living the choice is a journey to understanding why this choice was the only choice. I am happy with everything that I have done. Everything I have chosen… Most of all, I’m happy to have known you. You’re a wonderful person Ashley. I’m sure both you and I didn’t want it to be like this, but I’ll always be with you. I will remember you.

Ashley: [softly] Tali… I can never forget you. You were at my side all this time even though you were so sick. You were just there, being strong. I hate seeing you like this. I hate it. I don’t want you to go…

Tali: It’s what I chose to do. Wherever I may go, I’ll keep you in my heart. Keep me in your heart Ashley. Remember Me and I shall Remain with You.

Ashley: Tali…

[./end]

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading. The initial idea behind this was from pictures I saw in the Ashley thread (Legacy Forums) with Ashley holding the name plate. I understood from the posts in the thread that that was a scene from the extended cut DLC but mind you, I did not replay the campaign mode of the game with the extended cut DLC, so I don't know what's really going on in the scene or what was really said in the game. I did not look at it, on youtube either. This is just a creation of that scene within my head. The rest is my imagination, though I personally believe that even if you don't romance Tali in ME2, she still harbours feelings for Shepard. I hope the stage directions are clearer as last time, it confused some. Oh and the lyrics that appear in the Epilogue, are original lyrics by me, and as stated before with my own original work, NOTHING is to be used from this piece in any other work under the same name or any other name.


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